WHOOSH!
CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
As several of the Buzzshocks raised their fingers and unleashed bolt after bolt of golden electricity, the electrical discharges involuntarily converged in mid-air, combining like a miniature thunderstorm forming above their heads!
That brilliant golden light seemed to split the entire dark interior of the cabin!
"Complete intangibility!"
Ghostfreak's voice dropped to a menacing growl as his entire body turned transparent, as if he'd evaporated from existence itself.
BOOM!
The concentrated lightning blast tore straight through his now-incorporeal form and exploded against the wall behind him, blasting a massive hole through the wooden structure!
"Why can't we hit him?"
"He didn't even move!"
The Buzzshocks all looked astonished, chattering rapidly amongst themselves in their high-pitched alien language. Of course, outsiders couldn't understand a word they were saying.
"Phew... your electrical attacks are genuinely troublesome," Ghostfreak's body shifted from his completely intangible state back to solid form, a hint of wariness flickering in his terrifying single eye. "The low-power shots I can handle, but if you combine your electricity like that again, it'll be a real problem."
That ability he'd just used was an advanced version of his standard intangibility, complete dimensional phasing!
When fully phased, his body escaped this three-dimensional space entirely and entered a higher-dimensional plane. It appeared as though he remained in the same location, but he was actually existing in a completely different layer of reality!
No physical attack could harm him while phased!
Of course, the drawback of this technique was equally terrifying. Ghostfreak could only safely maintain complete dimensional phasing for a second or two before the strain became dangerous.
Seeing Ghostfreak materialize again, the Buzzshocks began trembling nervously once more.
WHOOSH!
The surrounding scenery abruptly transformed into a nightmarish hellscape, filled with horrifying apparitions and the tormented screams of restless spirits echoing through the darkness!
This was Ghostfreak's illusion power!
Confronted by the terrifying phantoms surrounding them from all sides, the Buzzshocks displayed visible fear. Their bodies crackled with defensive electricity as they desperately tried to zap the illusions, but it was completely useless!
Only one Buzzshock, the very same one that Asher had absorbed DNA from earlier and who'd been temporarily defeated by humans, had grown considerably smarter from the experience. He let out a sharp, high-pitched cry, "It's that white monster who's making us see these things! We need to work together and take him down!"
"Right!"
The Buzzshocks turned their attention toward Ghostfreak in unison!
Ghostfreak immediately flew forward to engage them!
He utilized his physical combat abilities expertly, combining them seamlessly with his illusion powers. With nearly every punch and kick, he managed to send one of the little aliens flying, though he deliberately held back enough that he was merely knocking them around rather than seriously injuring them. He was strong enough to make them cry out in pain and fear!
Combined with his absolutely terrifying appearance, it was like watching Death itself hunting down its prey!
The Buzzshocks kept fighting back desperately until the entire swarm had been beaten into retreat. Even then, Ghostfreak didn't let up, hovering menacingly in the air while fixing them with that single, unsettling eye that could move freely across his body!
Feeling those countless hostile glares directed at him, a trace of displeasure crossed Ghostfreak's ghostly features. He let out an exasperated sigh. "I thought beating some sense into you would be enough to convince you to go back willingly. Seems like I wasn't hitting hard enough!"
WHOOSH!
He shifted into phantom form again. This time, he held nothing back. The illusions evolved into countless overlapping afterimages that made it impossible to distinguish the real Ghostfreak from the fakes. He used this confusion to land significantly heavier strikes on each Buzzshock!
The Nosedeenians suffered invisible pain, getting pummeled from every direction while completely unable to mount an effective defense!
But even so...
They still refused to give up!
Their eyes remained full of yearning for the outside world and desperate hunger for freedom.
Even if it meant just breathing fresh air for a few brief moments, they would fight for it.
They'd been locked up for far too long, it was absolutely suffocating in there!
"Damn it!"
After several more minutes of fighting, Ghostfreak looked at the Buzzshocks scattered around him. Despite their battered state, their expressions remained stubbornly defiant. They hadn't backed down an inch!
And his transformation timer was about to run out!
He needed to make a strategic retreat!
"Listen carefully," Ghostfreak announced, his voice carrying both authority and a hint of reluctant mercy. "I've decided to show compassion and let you go outside for some fresh air. But if you dare destroy property or hurt innocent people, I will come for you!"
He delivered this ultimatum with the most intimidating tone he could muster, then his figure rapidly approached the wall behind him. He phased through it completely, leaving the wooden cabin through the rear wall!
The Buzzshocks remaining in the room stood frozen for a long moment.
Then, gradually, they raised their tiny fists high in the air. Their faces lit up with pure ecstatic joy, like sports fans watching their team win the championship game, celebrating their hard-won victory!
"Yes! That terrifying monster is finally gone!"
"We can go outside!"
"That battery we had earlier tasted so good... I really want to eat another one."
"I want to try wearing a human's hat and see how it feels on my head."
They chattered excitedly amongst themselves, making enthusiastic plans.
Outside the cabin, Asher examined the fully recharged Omnitrix on his wrist and breathed a sigh of relief. "The timing really couldn't have been better. I transformed back the instant I got outside."
He was currently positioned behind the rubber ball house. To maintain his cover story, he quickly moved through the woods on one side and circled around to approach from the front gate.
About thirty feet from the entrance, the Happy Country owner, Ben, and Gwen had been waiting anxiously for quite some time. They all had their ears pricked attentively, trying to hear any sounds from inside the cabin, though none of them dared approach too closely.
"Hey, everyone! Are you all okay?"
Asher walked toward them from the tree line, greeting them cheerfully while pretending he'd just emerged from the woods.
"Asher, is that you? Are you okay?" Seeing Asher, the Happy Country owner recognized him as the boy from earlier. He hurried over to Asher's side and spoke with obvious concern and caution. "Be careful! You didn't see it just now, but there was some kind of monster that looked like a ghost flying around!"
"I saw it," Asher replied with a casual nod. "I was hiding behind the cabin and watched him fighting against that whole swarm of aliens."
He started to congratulate himself internally for his clever cover story when the Happy Country owner interrupted his thoughts.
"You'd better stay alert," the man warned seriously. "Don't let that guy target you. In my opinion, that ghost thing's danger level is way higher than those little electric aliens. He definitely has bad intentions!"
Listening to these words, Asher nodded awkwardly and forced a strained smile. "Uh... thanks for the warning. I'll keep that in mind."
"So what happened in there, Asher?" Ben asked curiously.
"Did the ghost manage to force all those Buzzshocks back into the rubber ball?" Gwen added.
"They..." Asher smiled bitterly, holding back the rest of his explanation, and simply gestured toward the cabin door. "You'll see for yourselves in just a moment."
"What?"
The eyes of all three people turned toward the cabin entrance simultaneously. The sudden burst of brilliant golden light made them squint uncomfortably against the intense glare.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
One dazzling figure after another burst out of the dark cabin interior, floating in mid-air! They breathed in the fresh outdoor air deeply, and one by one, they looked absolutely reborn with excitement!
A full nineteen Buzzshocks had escaped together! Like a chaotic swarm of fireflies, they circled back and forth above Asher and the others' heads, playing joyfully!
Asher deliberately kept his head down, trying not to be recognized by the Buzzshock that had battled him earlier. Fortunately, these little aliens were probably too excited by their newfound freedom, because they completely ignored the humans below and flew directly toward the interior of Mirage Paradise!
"Why... why did they all escape?! Of course that ghost was working with them!" The Happy Country owner suddenly understood everything and ran anxiously toward the main street, presumably to assess the damage.
Asher's mouth twitched with suppressed frustration.
Ben looked at Asher with obvious confusion and asked, "Asher, how did they manage to escape? With your strength, it should've been easy to beat them into submission."
Asher could only smile helplessly. "Well... I might have been a little too lenient with them."